On Saturday, we reviewed the main candidates, or nominees if you will, to be the Cleveland Guardians’ first-half MVP, or most valuable player. We concluded that even though Parker Messick has been amazing, the Guardians wouldn’t be where they are without Brayan Rocchio and his all-around contributions.
Now, as we head into the All-Star break, it’s time to review and discuss who has been Cleveland’s least valuable player, or as we like to call it, the LVP award of the first half. As happened with the other unofficial recognition, there are plenty of candidates.
Bo Naylor posted a 21 wRC+ in the majors this year and has been a major disappointment, but isn’t really part of the MLB picture anymore and, to be fair, big things weren’t expected from him after what he has shown in the last few seasons.
Kyle Manzardo has a 90 wRC+ and could be considered a disappointment considering the high expectations attached to him, and Connor Brogdon and Shawn Armstrong have been subpar in the bullpen.
The player who has failed to meet expectations the most this year has been Steven Kwan, though. The outfielder had put together an incredible career to this point, filled with accolades and accomplishments, but despite a key hit on Saturday’s win, he has struggled to the tune of a .221/.330/.279 line and an 80 wRC+ this season.
An 80 wRC+ for a hitter with a career 108 mark is a substantial decline in performance. One home run in 350 plate appearances is a highly disappointing total, as well, despite the fact that Kwan’s game isn’t about the power.
If it’s about the steals, then five aren’t going to cut it either. Yes, the career-best 13.1 percent walk rate helps, but he is sporting league-worst bat speed and hard-hit numbers. Basically, whenever he swings the bat, you can expect harmless contact, or at least that has been the case in 2026 so far.
Yes, Kwan has improved a bit in recent days. Yes, he has years of above-average offensive performance on his resume. However, denying that his struggles have heavily affected the Guardians would be foolish at this point.
He has been so bad that he’s actually entering make-or-break territory regarding his future in the organization. Fortunately, he appears to be trending in the right direction, but it’s impossible to erase his overall body of work in the first half from our memory.
NEXT: Guardians Win Third Straight To Hit 50-Victory Mark
